Phila police & detectives busted in aas case

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Update: Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said at this morning's press conference:

"I've known about this [investigation] for several months, but it was an investigation that was ongoing and as you read the indictment, you'll see that it stretches way beyond Philadelphia."

WHYY's Lizz Fiedler said Ramsey also talked about rooting out the city's bad cops, saying, "You've gotta aggressively go after it. We owe it to the public, we owe it to the men and women of this department that are out here every single day doing the job the right way and that is the vast, vast majority of our people. They don't want to be embarrassed by this crap anymore than I do."

Original report: A Philadelphia police detective, two officers and 12 others are charged with 17 counts of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids.

Detective Keith Gidelson is charged with leading a distribution organization that reached other parts of the country, and involved selling human growth hormone from foreign suppliers.

Officers Joseph McIntyre and George Sambuca' Gidelson?s wife, Kirsten; Robert James Walters; Jay Guiliano; Michael Supilowski; Michael Barclay; Keith Ebner; Jeffrey Filoon; Christian Kowalko; Joel Levin; Luke Lors; Williams Schiavo; and Vaidotas Verikas are also charged.

The indictment says the HGH was shipped from Europe and China, repacked by Walters and shipped to a UPS mailbox in Philadelphia where the Gidelsons sold the steroids from their home and at local fitness clubs. Gidelson is also accused of distributing the steroids through health and weightlifting websites and chatrooms.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years imprisonment, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment for each count.

We'll have more on this story later.

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http://youtu.be/C17bSPE8SqU

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Keith Gidelson, a Philadelphia police detective and 14 others, including Huntingdon Valley resident Luke Lors, 31, were charged in a 17-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday, with conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said in a release.

Also named in the indictment are fellow police officers Joseph McIntyre and George Sambuca, Gidelson’s wife, Kristen, Robert James Walters, Jay Guiliano, Michael Supilowski, Michael Barclay, Keith Ebner, Jeffrey Filoon, Christian Kowalko, Joel Levin, William Schiavo and Viadotas Verikas, the release said.

The indictment alleges that Gidelson operated an anabolic steroid and human growth hormone distribution organization in Philadelphia and throughout the United States. It further alleges that Gidelson acquired steroids from foreign suppliers and then sold these steroids to his co-conspirators who distributed the drugs to their own customers.

“Police officers swear an oath to uphold the law,” Memeger said in a statement. “When an officer breaks the law, no matter the infraction, he not only violates his oath, he violates the public’s trust. This indictment alleges that three officers placed personal gain ahead of their duty to protect and serve.”

According to the indictment, Gidelson obtained monthly shipments of anabolic steroids and HGH from suppliers in Europe and China. One supplier shipped the steroids to California, where defendant Robert Walters re-packaged them for shipment to Gidelson.

Another supplier shipped orders of steroids to a mailbox that Gidelson had rented at a UPS store.

It is further alleged that Gidelson and his wife stored and packaged steroids and HGH at their home in Philadelphia. The couple allegedly met with drug customers, including defendants Barclay, Ebner, Filoon, Kowalko, Levin, Lors, McIntyre, Sambuca, Schiavo and Verikas, at their home and at Philadelphia-area fitness clubs, to distribute anabolic steroids and HGH in various quantities.

According to the indictment, Gidelson also distributed steroids to customers throughout the United States that he met through online weightlifting chat rooms on websites including: Steroids.com; Inject.com; Isteroids.com; and Bodybuilding.com.

Gidelson also allegedly used the electronic mail service yahoo.com and the encrypted e-mail services hushmail.com and safemail.com to place orders and communicate with his foreign suppliers.

According to John Bryfonski, a DEA special agent, the use of anabolic steroids has been strongly correlated with life-threatening illness, making adults more susceptible to HIV infections, higher rates for cancer and heart failure when compared to the general public.

“Alarmingly, abuse of anabolic steroids among young Americans has reached dangerous levels, placing our children at risk of heart disease, liver cancer, stunted growth, depression, eating disorders as well as increased hostility and aggression all in a misguided effort to achieve fleeting success that too often ends in tragedy.” Bryfonski said in a statement. “In this case, a person who holds a position of public trust is alleged to have placed these very harmful substances into the very same hands he was entrusted to protect.”

According to FBI Special Agent George Venizelos, “the anabolic steroids that are alleged to have been sold throughout Philadelphia and across the U.S by the defendants are dangerous, illegal drugs from foreign countries, represented as legitimate pharmaceutical compounds.”

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The three cops - sporting tattoos and bulging biceps - were arrested early yesterday and taken to federal magistrate court in the afternoon.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey called it "another dark day" for the department. The arrests bring to 26 the number of city cops who have been charged with crimes since 2009.

Ramsey said the three have been suspended for 30 days with intent to dismiss. Gidelson and Sambuca were recently out on disability. Ramsey said he would seek to recover their pay if they committed the alleged offenses while on disability.

Authorities said that Gidelson ran the distribution network out of his home on Waldemire Drive in the Far Northeast and that he obtained monthly shipments of the steroids and HGH from two suppliers identified only as "Karl" and "Roger" in Europe and China.

Karl allegedly shipped the steroids to Folsom, Calif., where co-defendant Robert James Walters repackaged the drugs and shipped them to Gidelson's house.

Roger shipped steroids to a rented mailbox Gidelson maintained at a UPS store, the indictment said.

Authorities said Gidelson and his wife, Kirsten, 36, who pleaded not guilty yesterday, stored and packaged the steroids and HGH at their home and later met with their 10 drug customers, including McIntyre and Sambuca, at their home and at area fitness clubs to distribute the steroids and HGH.

Gidelson also allegedly distributed steroids to customers throughout the United States who he met through online weightlifting chat rooms and websites.

Authorities said Gidelson and his wife, Walters and co-defendant Jay Giuliano, 41, routinely spoke on cellphones to discuss distribution activities and arrange meeting locations to distribute the steroids and HGH to customers. Giuliano pleaded not guilty yesterday.

The indictment charged that the defendants and their customers "consistently" spoke in code - often referring to the steroids as "stuff" - in order to thwart law enforcement.

For example, authorities said Gidelson sent a text message on March 4 to co-defendant Michael Barclay, 51, that read: "All new books r in brother."

Gidelson, a 14-year veteran, was assigned to the Special Victims Unit before his disability. McIntyre, another 14-year veteran, most recently worked in the 26th District. Sambuca joined the force in 2008 and worked in the 22nd District.

Gidelson is being detained pending a bail hearing on Monday. Sambuca, who pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and distribution charges, was released on $50,000 unsecured bond. McIntyre, who was not arraigned because he wants to hire his own attorney, was also released on $50,000 bond.

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

maybe its just me,but all i see is ignorance.i dont know why they even made steriods illegal. i mean...i KNOW why,but it was stupid and un-needed. why bitch and complain about how fat america is....and then get rid of all things we can use to make ourselves better, physically and mentally? thats a complete contradiction of logic.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

maybe its just me,but all i see is ignorance.i dont know why they even made steriods illegal. i mean...i KNOW why,but it was stupid and un-needed. why bitch and complain about how fat america is....and then get rid of all things we can use to make ourselves better, physically and mentally? thats a complete contradiction of logic.

Good point brother.I actually think that should becomes the US's new motto "CONTRADICTION OF LOGIC" That about sums it up.LOL

[SAFELIFE1 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close SAFELIFE1]

Just stupid, to lose their jobs for this. legalize it. fake boobs are.

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A Philadelphia police detective charged last week with heading a conspiracy to illegally distribute anabolic steroids pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal magistrate court and was released on $50,000 unsecured bond.

U.S. Magistrate Linda Caracappa also put Keith Gidelson, 34, under 24-hour house arrest with electronic monitoring at his Waldemire Drive home in the city's Andalusia section. He had been detained since his arrest on April 27.

Gidelson, a 14-year veteran, was a detective assigned to the special-victims unit, but had been out on disability before his arrest.


Two other police officers - Joseph McIntyre, 36, and George Sambuca, 25 - were also charged in the case and released on $50,000 unsecured bond. Sambuca has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and distribution of anabolic steroids and McIntyre has not yet been arraigned.

All three have been suspended from the force for 30 days with intent to dismiss.

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The full list of defendants (followed by their hometown and age) are as follows:

Keith Gidelson Philadelphia, PA 34
Kirsten Gidelson Philadelphia, PA 36
Robert James Walters Folsom, CA 50
Jay Guiliano Philadelphia, PA 41
Michael Supilowski Chicago, IL 49
Michael Barclay Philadelphia, PA 51
Keith Ebner Philadelphia, PA 44
Jeffrey Filoon Philadelphia, PA 36
Christian Kowalko Philadelphia, PA 38
Joel Levin Bensalem, PA 48
Luke Lors Huntingdon Valley, PA 31
Joseph McIntyre Philadelphia, PA 36
George Sambuca Philadelphia, PA 25
William Schiavo Philadelphia, PA 29
Vaidotas Verikas Wrightstown, PA 41